KOTA KINABALU, Nov 18 — Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew today announced that the state is looking to get into the medical tourism sector by signing an agreement with a London-based firm in the near future.

Liew said she has met with the firm — a global specialist company in medical tourism during the ‘World Travel Mart’ event held in London earlier this month. 

“They had visited Sabah six months ago and did a market survey. They are very keen on Sabah,” she said when speaking to reporters at the State Assembly building here.

Liew said Sabah had a lot to catch up as other states in Peninsular Malaysia has gained a reputation for their medical tourism.

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“I had a look at the numbers and it is impressive. It’s a multi-million ringgit industry and I think Sabah would excel in this. We have a number of private hospitals with qualified cosmetic surgeons. We have many resorts and hotels where patients stay and recover.

“Sabah doesn’t just have good medical facilities but also beautiful tourism spots,” she said.

Earlier, Liew was answering questions posed by opposition Kiulu Assemblyman Joniston Bangkuai during the question and answer session on what the state can expect from the Visit Malaysia Year 2020. 

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She said Sabah had actively promoted tourism abroad and is expected to have an additional one million tourists next year in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2020.

She also said efforts are underway to attract more Europeans, Indian nationals and Middle Eastern tourists as part of its diversifying efforts.

“Connectivity is the problem right now so we are working to get chartered flights in,” she said.